[Indorsement.]

AUGUST 6, 1864.

Respectfully forwarded to commanding general.

JAMES F. HALL,

Lieutenant-Colonel and Provost-Marshal-General.

Statement of Lieutenant P. W. Houlihan, Sixteenth U. S. Infantry; Walter Clifford, Sixteenth U. S. Infantry, and James Butler, Second U. S. Infantry:

Escaped from the rebels on the 28th ultimo where the railroad crossed the Combahee on the road from Macon. Lieutenant Houlihan was captured on 19th of September, 1863, at Chickamauga; Mr. Clifford at same time and place. James Butler captured at Catlett's Station, Va., on 11th of April. All were taken to Richmond. Left Richmond on 10th of May; taken to Danville. Left Danville on 14th of May to Macon. Escaped from near Danville and were gone five days and were captured near Madison, Ga., and arrived at Macon on 22nd May. Left Macon on 27th July; 1,680 officers there at that time. We were being removed on account of a reported raid of Stoneman, supposed to be at Milledgeville, 30 miles from Macon. Six hundred and forty-two were taken on the train toward Charleston. When crossing the Combahee we jumped off the train while the guards were asleep, kept down the river, were lost in a rice swamp, got a boat two days, kept down the river at night, met pickets 10 miles from mouth of river, passed the obstructions on night 31st, arrived at Saint Helena Sound on morning of 1st, went to the Ethan Allen, and arrived at this post yesterday a.m., 3rd instant.

These officers were recognized by Colonel Slidell, One hundred and forty-fourth New York Volunteers. The mass of the people are very dissatisfied so far as we can tell. We were treated badly. No bedding, not enough to eat, only 2 quarters corn meal for five days, with 10 pounds bacon and 1/2 pint of syrup, 1 1/2 pounds salt, and 1/2 gill rice, and same quantity of wormy beans. We built our own sheds from lumber given to us. We had to do our policing. We hear from 3 surgeons, who attended the men at Andersonville, that there are over 27,000 men at Andersonville in an inclosure of twenty-five acres; a portion is swamp. That 75 to 100 die per day. Saw 160 taken out and buried on one pay. They have no shelter of any kind. They take away their blankets, overcoats, &c. One corner of the open field is the hospital with about 600 men in it. At present they have no medical attendance. In exchange they gave us $4.50 for $1 greenbacks. This was done officially. The railroad was good. The rebel soldiers are disheartened. They evidently have every man they can raise from sixteen to sixty years of age.

HEADQUARTERS DEPARTMENT OF THE SOUTH,
Hilton Head, S. C., August 6, 1864.

Brigadier General A. SCHIMMELFENNIG,

Commanding Northern District, Department of the South:

GENERAL: By direction of the major-general commanding I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your communication of the 2nd instant, inclosing the report of Captain Richard Allison, One hundred